JP2008139361A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An image forming apparatus excellent in maintainability is provided.
A sheet transport path is formed by joining a first transport path R1 to a sixth transport path R6 on the way. The 1st door 100 is provided in order to expose the conveyance path downstream from the 1st vertical conveyance rollers 121a and 121b which are confluences of the 1st-6th conveyance paths R1-R6, and extends in the horizontal direction. Opens and closes by rotating around an axis. The second door 110 is provided to expose the junction, and opens and closes by rotating about a shaft extending in the vertical direction. The third door 115 is provided to expose the transport path upstream from the junction, and opens and closes by rotating around an axis extending in the horizontal direction.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus having a plurality of sheet feeding units and a conveyance path in which paths from the respective sheet feeding units merge.

  Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus, a maintenance door is provided in an exterior case in order to perform maintenance such as component replacement, cleaning, and jam processing. As such an image forming apparatus, for example, an image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has been filed. In the image forming apparatus, the area of each door is reduced by providing the first door and the second door. As a result, the space required for opening and closing the door is reduced, thereby saving the installation space for the image forming apparatus.

However, the image forming apparatus has a problem that maintenance is poor because the door is vertically opened. More specifically, in the case of jam processing, it is not possible to expose the conveyance path and to remove the jammed paper only by opening only the maintenance door. Therefore, when opening the door, it is necessary to move the transport roller and the like. As described above, when the conveyance roller or the like is attached to the door and is opened, in order to obtain an opening sufficient for maintenance, the door needs to be opened by being greatly lowered. However, since the door is accompanied by a conveyance roller or the like, it is very difficult to open it by its weight when it is greatly tilted and opened.
JP 2005-82307 A

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having excellent maintainability.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of sheet feeding units, a conveyance path formed by merging a plurality of paths from each of the sheet feeding units, and a downstream of a merging point of the plurality of paths. A first door that opens and closes by rotating about an axis extending in the horizontal direction, and is provided to expose the conveyance path, and rotates about an axis extending in the vertical direction that is provided to expose the junction. A second door that opens and closes, and a third door that is provided to expose the transport path upstream from the junction and opens and closes by rotating about a horizontally extending axis. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, since the second door is laterally open, it is easy to open the second door greatly with a small force. Further, since the maintenance door is divided into a plurality of doors, each door can be lightened. As a result, the maintainability of the image forming apparatus is improved.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that a manual feed tray is provided on a side surface of the second door.

  According to the present invention, since the paper is placed on the manual paper feed tray, the second door can be opened and closed by opening the second door sideways without removing the paper.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the second door is opened and closed together with a part of a mechanism for transporting paper from the manual feed tray.

  According to the present invention, a part of the mechanism for transporting paper from the paper feed tray opens and closes in association with the second door, so that it becomes easy to expose the transport path and the junction of the paths.

  In the present invention, each of the first door, the second door, and the third door has a first lock mechanism, a second lock mechanism, and a third lock for locking when closed. A lock mechanism is provided, and a first lock lever, a second lock lever, and a second lock lever for releasing the lock of each of the first lock mechanism, the second lock mechanism, and the third lock mechanism are provided. The lock lever 3 is preferably provided in the vicinity of the side close to the side face facing the operator.

  According to the present invention, since the first lock lever, the second lock lever, and the third lock lever are provided in the vicinity of the side close to the side face facing the operator, the operator can use the first lock lever, the second lock lever, and the second lock lever. It becomes easy to operate the lock lever and the third lock lever.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the first lock lever, the second lock lever, and the third lock lever are arranged so that a distance from a side surface facing the operator increases in order. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the second lock lever is disposed closer to the operator side than the operator side end of the first door.

  According to the present invention, since the second lock lever is disposed closer to the operator side than the operator side end of the first door, even if the first door is open, the second lock lever is There is no hidden under the door. As a result, the operator can easily open the second door even when the first door is open.

  In the present invention, the area of the second door is preferably smaller than the areas of the first door and the third door.

  According to the present invention, since the area of the second door is smaller than the areas of the first door and the third door, the second door can be lightened. Since the second door is provided at the junction of the path where paper jam is likely to occur, the frequency of opening and closing is high. Therefore, it is possible to improve the maintainability of the image forming apparatus by making the second door light.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Schematic configuration of image forming apparatus)
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 is, for example, a copying machine, and includes a main body 2, a stacker 3, and a reading unit 4. The reading unit 4 is a scanner that reads a document and obtains image data. The stacker 3 is a large-capacity paper feeding device that is used by being connected to the main body 2. The main body 2 prints an image on a print medium such as paper based on the image data obtained by the reading unit 4.

  The main body 2 generally includes a photosensitive drum 10 (10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K), a developing device 15 (15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K), an intermediate transfer unit 20, a laser scanning unit 30, a fixing unit 40, and a paper feeding unit. 50, 60, 70, 80 and a manual feed unit 90 are provided.

  The developing device 15 (15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K) is provided for each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Since the black developing device 15K is used most frequently, the developing device 15K is made larger than the other developing devices 15Y, 15M, and 15C. Each developing device 15 (15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K) includes a toner storage unit 16 (16Y, 16M, 16C, 16K) and a developing roller 17 (17Y, 17M, 17C, 17K). The intermediate transfer unit 20 includes an intermediate transfer belt 21 that is held endlessly by a driving roller 22 and a driven roller 23, and includes primary transfer rollers 24 (24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24K).

  In forming an image, first, an image for each of the four colors is exposed from the laser scanning unit 30 to the photosensitive drum 10 (10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K) (formation of an electrostatic latent image). Next, the electrostatic latent image is developed (toner image) by each color developing device 15 (15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K). This toner image is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 by the electric field applied from the primary transfer roller 24 (24Y, 24M, 24C, 24K) for each color, and four color images are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21. Superimposed.

  On the other hand, the sheet is fed via any one of the first transport path R1 to the sixth transport path R6, passes through the first vertical transport rollers 121a and 121b, and the registration rollers 124a and 124b, and then the driving roller 22. The intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the secondary transfer roller 27 are conveyed to the nip portion (secondary transfer portion), and the composite image is output from the intermediate transfer belt 21 by the electric field applied from the secondary transfer roller 27. Next transferred. Thereafter, the sheet is heated and fixed with toner by the fixing unit 40 and is discharged from the discharge roller pair 130 onto the sheet tray 131. Details of the first transport path R1 to the sixth transport path R6 will be described later.

  When printing an image on both sides of a sheet, first, the sheet having an image printed on one side is switched back by the pair of reverse rollers 132 and sent to the return conveyance path R7. The sheet passes through the registration rollers 124 a and 124 b, the secondary transfer unit, and the fixing unit 40 again to print an image on the other side, and is discharged from the discharge roller pair 130 onto the sheet tray 131. The

(About transport route)
Details of the first transport path R1 to the sixth transport path R6 will be described below. The first transport path R <b> 1 is a path through which a sheet supplied from the sheet feeding unit 50 passes, and includes a pickup roller 51, a sheet feeding roller 52, and a separation roller 53. The second transport path R <b> 2 is a path through which the sheet supplied from the sheet feeding unit 60 passes, and includes a pickup roller 61, a sheet feeding roller 62, and a separation roller 63. The third transport path R3 is a path through which the sheet supplied from the sheet feeding unit 70 passes, and includes a pickup roller 71, a sheet feeding roller 72, and a separation roller 73. The fourth transport path R4 is a path through which the paper supplied from the paper supply unit 80 passes, and includes a pickup roller 81, a paper supply roller 82, and a separation roller 83. The fifth transport path R5 is a path through which the paper supplied from the stacker 3 passes, and includes a pickup roller 111, a paper feed roller 112, and a separation roller 113. The sixth transport path R <b> 6 is a path through which the paper supplied from the manual feed unit 90 passes, and includes a pickup roller 91, a paper feed roller 92, and a separation roller 93.

  The pickup rollers 51, 61, 71, 81, 111, 91 play a role of taking out the paper placed on the paper feeding units 50, 60, 70, 80, the stacker 3 or the manual feed unit 90, respectively. The paper feed rollers 52, 62, 72, 82, 112, 92 and the separation rollers 53, 63, 73, 83, 113, 93 are paired to form pickup rollers 51, 61, 71, 81, 111, 91, respectively. The taken sheets are separated one by one and conveyed to the first conveyance path R1 to the sixth conveyance path R6, respectively.

  The first transport path R1 to the sixth transport path R6 join each other on the way. More specifically, the third transport path R3 and the fourth transport path R4 merge at the intermediate rollers 123a and 123b. The second transport path R2, the third transport path R3, the fourth transport path R4, and the fifth transport path R5 are connected to the second vertical transport rollers 122a and 122b provided downstream of the intermediate rollers 123a and 123b. Have joined together. Further, the first transport path R1, the second transport path R2, the third transport path R3, the fourth transport path R4, the fifth transport path R5, and the sixth transport path R6 are the second vertical transport. The first vertical conveying rollers 121a and 121b are joined downstream of the rollers 122a and 122b.

(Maintenance door)
Next, the maintenance door of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The maintenance door of the image forming apparatus 1 includes a first door 100, a second door 110, and a third door 115. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 when the first door 100 is opened. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 when the second door 110 is opened. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 when the third door 115 is opened. In FIG. 5, the stacker 3 is shown in a moved state. The third door 115 can be opened and closed by moving the stacker 3 to the right in FIG.

  The first door 100 includes a folding conveyance path R7 therein, and is downstream of the first vertical conveyance rollers 121a and 121b, which are junctions of the first conveyance path R1 to the sixth conveyance path R6. It is provided to expose the transport path. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the first door 100 rotates in the vertical plane about the axis X extending in the horizontal direction at the lower end, thereby causing the secondary transfer roller 27 and the registration rollers 124a and 124b to rotate. At the same time, it opens and closes, and plays a role of exposing the conveyance path in the vicinity of the drive roller 22 and the return conveyance path R7.

  The second door 110 is provided with a paper feed tray of the manual feed unit 90 on the side surface, and includes a pickup roller 91, a paper feed roller 92, and a separation roller 93 for conveying paper from the paper feed tray. . The second door 110 is a rectangular door having a smaller area than the first door 100 and the third door 115 and having a longitudinal direction in the horizontal direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the second door 110 rotates in a horizontal plane around an axis Y provided so as to extend in the vertical direction at the right end, whereby the first vertical conveying rollers 121a and 121b. Expose nearby transport paths.

  The third door 115 is provided to expose the transport path upstream of the first vertical transport rollers 121a and 121b. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the third door 115 rotates in the vertical plane around the axis X extending in the horizontal direction at the lower end, whereby the second vertical conveying roller 122b and the intermediate roller 123b. The second and third transport paths R2, R3, fourth transport path R4, and fifth transport path R5 are joined to open and close together.

  Next, a lock mechanism for the first door 100, the second door 110, and the third door 115 of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a front view of the door of the image forming apparatus 1. The hatched portion in the figure indicates the portion that opens and closes when each door is opened and closed. The lock mechanism is a well-known mechanism that is usually used in this type of copying machine, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The first lock lever 151, the second lock lever 152, and the third lock lever 153 for unlocking the first door 100, the second door 110, and the third door 115 are the image forming apparatus 1. Near the side facing the operator. More specifically, a first lock lever 151 is provided on the side of the first door 100 on the operator side. A second lock lever 152 is provided on the side of the second door 110 on the operator side. A third lock lever 153 is provided on the side of the third door 115 on the operator side.

  Further, the first lock lever 151, the second lock lever 152, and the third lock lever 153 are closer to the operator in the order of the third lock lever 153, the second lock lever 152, and the first lock lever 151. It is arranged to go. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the second lock lever 152 is disposed on the operator side of the operator side of the first door 100 (dotted line in FIG. 6).

  Next, the structure of the second door 110 and the third door 115 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the second door 110 as viewed from below. FIG. 8 is a view of the third door 115 as viewed from the side.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of bolts 200 are provided in the vicinity of the rotation center axis Y provided at the left end portion of the second door 110, and the second door 110 is interposed via the bolts 200. Attached to the main body 2. Further, a roller 201 is provided on the lower surface of the right end located on the opposite side of the left end provided with the central axis Y. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, a slope S that gradually decreases from the inside to the outside of the main body 2 is provided on the upper surface of the third door 115.

  According to the image forming apparatus 1 as described above, since the maintenance door for solving troubles such as paper jams is divided into a plurality of parts, the area of each door can be reduced. As a result, each door becomes lighter, so that the force required for opening and closing the door can be reduced, and the area for passing the door when opening and closing the door can be reduced, so that the image forming apparatus 1 can be stored in a small installation space. It becomes.

  Further, since the second door 110 is provided at the junction of each conveyance path, and the second door 110 has a laterally open structure having a longitudinal direction in the lateral direction, the maintenance of the image forming apparatus 1 is performed. Improves. More specifically, the junction point of the conveyance path is a place where paper jam is likely to occur because the structure is complicated and the amount of paper passing is very large. Therefore, by providing the second door 110 having a longitudinal direction in the horizontal direction and a lateral opening at the junction point of the conveyance path, it is possible to greatly open a place where a paper jam is likely to occur. As a result, the maintainability of the image forming apparatus 1 can be improved. Furthermore, since the area of the second door 110 is smaller than the areas of the first door 100 and the third door 115, the second door 110 having the most chances of opening and closing is the first door 100 and the third door. It can be opened and closed with a force smaller than 115. As a result, the maintainability of the image forming apparatus 1 can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the first lock lever 151, the second lock lever 152, and the third lock lever 153 are provided near the side of the image forming apparatus 1 that faces the operator, the operator can The first lock lever 151, the second lock lever 152, and the third lock lever 153 can be easily operated. As a result, the maintainability of the image forming apparatus 1 can be improved.

  Further, since the second lock lever 152 is disposed closer to the operator side than the operator side of the first door 100 (dotted line in FIG. 6), the first door 100 is in an open state. However, the second lock lever 152 protrudes to the operator side from the first door 100. As a result, even if the first door 100 is open, the second door 110 can be easily opened.

  Further, since the roller 201 is provided on the lower surface of the second door 110, the roller 201 rolls on the stacker 3 even if the second door 110 is opened with the stacker 3 attached as shown in FIG. become. Therefore, the second door 110 does not get damaged by passing through the upper surface of the stacker 3.

  In addition, since the slope S is provided on the upper surface of the third door 115, the second door 110 can be easily opened and closed. More specifically, a predetermined gap is provided between the second door 110 and the third door 115, but a large amount of paper is set on the manual feed unit 90 or has been used for many years. When the second door 110 is opened and closed, the second door 110 may hang down. In such a case, if the slope S is provided, the second door 110 does not contact the third door 115. Alternatively, the roller 201 rolls on the slope S even when the lock lever 152 side of the second door 110 is dropped when the second lock lever 152 is released. As a result, even if the second door 110 hangs down, the second door 110 can be opened and closed smoothly.

1 is an external perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus when a first door is opened. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus when a second door is opened. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus when a third door is opened. It is a front view of the door of an image forming apparatus. It is a perspective view when the 2nd door is seen from the lower part. It is a figure when the 3rd door is seen from the side.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Main body 3 Stacker 50, 60, 70, 80 Paper feed unit 90 Manual feed unit 100 1st door 110 2nd door 115 3rd door 121a, 121b 1st vertical conveyance roller 151 1st lock | rock Lever 152 Second lock lever 153 Third lock lever 201 Roller R1 First transport path R2 Second transport path R3 Third transport path R4 Fourth transport path R5 Fifth transport path R6 Sixth transport Route S Slope

Claims (7)

Multiple paper feeders,
A transport path configured by joining a plurality of paths from each of the sheet feeding units in the middle;
A first door that is provided to expose a conveyance path downstream from a confluence of the plurality of paths, and that opens and closes by rotating about an axis extending in a horizontal direction;
A second door provided to expose the confluence, and opened and closed by rotating about a vertically extending axis;
A third door provided to expose the transport path upstream from the confluence, and opened and closed by rotating about a horizontally extending axis;
An image forming apparatus comprising: A manual paper feed tray is provided on a side surface of the second door;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The second door opens and closes together with a part of a mechanism for transporting paper from the manual feed tray;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2. Each of the first door, the second door, and the third door is provided with a first lock mechanism, a second lock mechanism, and a third lock mechanism for locking when closed. And
The first lock lever, the second lock lever, and the third lock lever for releasing the locks of the first lock mechanism, the second lock mechanism, and the third lock mechanism, respectively, Provided near the side on the side close to the facing side;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The first lock lever, the second lock lever, and the third lock lever are arranged so that a distance from a side surface facing the operator increases in order,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4. The second lock lever is disposed closer to the operator side than the operator side end of the first door;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The area of the second door is smaller than the areas of the first door and the third door;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

Images